This invention relates to holders for sheet-form articles, and is particularly concerned with display stands utilizable for articles such as leaflets, documents, cards, pamphlets, brochures, magazines and the like. The articles to be displayed in the holder can be single sheet articles or multiple sheet articles.
Many forms of display stands and racks are known for the display of sheet-form articles.
FR-A-2725937 shows a rack in which documents are separated by dividing walls whose position can be adjusted. The walls can slide along a guide and be fixed in place by stops. The dividing walls can be removed to increase available space and can be positioned in predetermined locations along the length of the rack.
US-A-3691664 shows an adjustable card holder with adjusting means for handling different lengths of cards. Reciprocating movement of a cover over a compartmented box adjusts the length of the compartments to accommodate cards of different length.
US-A-3850303 shows an adjustable storage rack for books and cassettes which has an inclined shelf and is adjustable in width. This is achieved by the use of telescopic sections movable horizontally.
GB-A-2126886 shows a portable workstand with members linked together by scissor linkages, so that the stand can be movable between a storage disposition in which the members are closed together and a work disposition in which the members open out to provide an inclined plane of support for a workpiece.
GB-A-0607413 shows a holder for photographs and like articles in which four metal strips are pin-jointed together at their ends to form consecutive links, the outer ends of the outer links being bent to form feet. Pivoting of the links provides for width adjustment of the holder.
GB-A-0870941 shows an apparatus for carrying flat plates or boards, especially for use by artists, in which a complex frame of pivotally linked members can be adjusted to permit paintings for example of different sizes to be carried in mutually spaced relationship so that they are protected.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a holder for sheet-form articles which is adjustable in a sense to enable articles of different sizes to be received in the holder in a well-supported manner. By providing an adjustable holder one can display sheet-form articles of different dimensions without on the one hand having to use a range of different size holders and without on the other hand having articles of relatively small dimensions loosely supported, if at all, within a holder which is too large.
The holder of the present invention enables a stack of sheet-form articles to be held supported at the rear and at the sides by simple adjustment of the holder.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a holder for sheet-form articles which comprises a stand having:
(i) a rear support member against which the articles are arranged to rest, and
(ii) a pair of side support members for edgewise support of the articles and defining a receiving space for the articles therebetween, wherein the side support members are jointly movable relative to the rear support member between extended and retracted positions thereby to vary the width of the receiving space.
The extension and retraction of the side support members enables the holder to be adjusted to receive articles between a predetermined maximum width dimension and a predetermined minimum width dimension or of any dimension in between.
Preferably, the side support members are movable relative to the rear support member in directions extending generally diagonally relative to a longitudinal axis of the rear support member. This means that on extension of the holder the side support members move downwards and outwards relative to the rear support member, whereas upon retraction of the side support members they move upwards and inwards relative to the rear support member.
This extension and retraction movement can be achieved for example by providing the side support members each with a generally diagonal slot therethrough and by providing the rear support member with projecting studs which engage in the respective slots and which thus permit sliding movement of the side support members relative to the rear support member.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the side support members is shaped to define a generally U-shaped support to encompass the marginal portion of the stack of articles to be held therein. The rearward limb of the U can be provided with the aforesaid diagonally extending slot and be slidable over the face of the rear support member on the studs projecting therefrom.
Also in accordance with the invention there is provided holder for sheet-form articles which comprises a stand having:
i) a rear support member having a front face against which the articles are arranged to rest, and
ii) first and second side support members for supporting respective sides of the articles and together defining a space therebetween in which the articles can be positioned, wherein the side support members are jointly movable by a sliding motion relative to the rear support member thereby to vary the width of said receiving space.
Desirably, sliding movement of the side support members away from each other to increase the width of the receiving space simultaneously increases the height of the rear support member relative to the side support members to increase the area of support provided by the front face of the rear support member.